2 pages have been added to The Hire Sense to assist readers who prefer to use an RSS feed. We have explained the 2 most popular options for receiving our postings.

What is RSS? – provides an explanation of an RSS feed and provides you with some software options.

What is FeedBurner? – explains the email RSS option we also offer on our site if you would prefer receiving 1 email a day with all of our previous day’s postings.

I hope that information provides a couple of good formats in which to receive our postings. Of course, you can always choose to simply visit our site via your web browser. One final note on that topic – we have set up the domain www.thehiresense.com which will bring you right to this blog.

Thanks to all of our readers for helping us grow this blog on a daily basis.

Comments(0)

“We know what employers want”

Yet another reason to read resumes with a grain of salt. Especially sales resumes.

Comments(0)

Well, so much for focusing on the interviewer-side of face-to-face interviews. CareerJournal has come out with a new article that is the title of this post. There is nothing groundbreaking in the approach outlined in the article. Yet, I did enjoy this bit of cryptic strategy:

He suggests when answering job-interview queries applying the formula Q = A + 1: Q is the question; A is the answer; + is the bridge to the message you want to deliver; and 1 is the point you want to make.

“If you take the ‘+ 1’ off the formula, then the interviewer is controlling the session,” says Mr. Braun.

I’m not sure what to write about that excerpt. Of course, math became quite confusing to me once letters replaced numbers in the equations. I make no bones about that fact.

I close with one quote from earlier in the article that basically sums up the thesis:

These trainers say you can deliver the message you want to an employer, regardless of the question you’re asked.

Uggh. For the antecdote, may I suggest an approach we use called drilling down.

Comments(0)

I’m catching up to some older articles in my RSS feeder and came across this AllBusiness.com article – Managing and Motivating Salespeople. We have an appreciation for tactical management articles. What I mean is articles that take a “how to” approach to management. There are plenty of strategic, mile-high articles out there so we enjoy a good hands-on read.

First off, all sales managers need to motivate their sales force in some manner. Even the most self-starting salesperson will need an occassional injection of external motivation from their sales manager. Many sales managers tend to ignore or deny this fact at their own peril.

Next, the author’s suggestions are spot on. I’ll list them here quickly but the author does expand on each point in the article:

• Set goals.
• Encourage and listen to input.
• Offer training.
• Provide feedback.
• Offer opportunities for growth.
• Avoid pressure tactics.
• Build trust.

Of course, I would add “Assess your team.” to the list. Assessments provide the manager with information that may take them 6 months or more to sort out. And that is just the communication piece. The other areas of the assessments are too deep for any person to measure through interaction. Providing an in-depth profile of your sales team gives your sales manager the tools to do their job in the most effective manner possible.

Finally, I take slight umbrage with one point – “Avoid pressure tactics.” Here is the author’s full explanation behind that point:

Some managers try to motivate through intimidation and fear. This management style can produce short-term results, but it actually increases stress for employees, makes work an unpleasant place, and ultimately makes people less productive and more likely to leave.

Sales is a high-pressure position which is why most people are not successful at selling. Salespeople need to be able to handle stress and rejection. That being said, as long as the manager is coaching, encouraging and connecting with the salesperson, fear can be an excellent motivator. Granted, an overuse of fear will lead to a mass exodus amongst the sales team. (I have worked for sales managers whose only tool was fear and it was a dreadful experience each time). However, the proper, limited use of fear will always be one of the most effective tools in the sales manager’s toolbox.

Comments(0)

We are back after a scorcher of a Memorial Day weekend here in Minnesota (record highs this past weekend). Instead of overheating as I read more candidate interview preparation articles, CareerBuilder.com finally chimes in with some tips for the interviewer with Top 10 Interview No No’s. We do enjoy top 10 lists here at the Hire Sense! Good fundamental advice in this column that are always a good refresher. (You cannot ask about race, age, religion, etc.).

Point #3 cannot be stressed enough:

3. Avoid Closed Ended Questions – The first type of question to avoid is one that can be answered by a “yes” or “no”. Even if you think “yes” or “no” is your desired response, rework the question to allow for a more thorough response. Unexpected, beneficial information is often revealed when your questions allow the interviewee to elaborate with his/her response.
– EXAMPLE – Poor: Do you have experience in customer service?
– EXAMPLE – Good: Tell me about your customer service experience?

Yes/no questions lead to dead ends and you have to work hard at formulating your next question without getting a detailed answer on your previous question. All – ALL – of our interview questions are structured in an open-ended structure. We do not use yes/no questions in phone screens or face-to-face interviews.

As an aside – this advice is also crucial to salespeople who are qualifying prospects. You should not hear yes/no questions coming out of your salespeople’s mouths in front of a prospect.

Comments(0)